Spark timer



July 10, 1923. 1,461,525

G. L. HERZ SPARK TIMER Filed Oct. ll, 1921 Eleni,

Patented July 10, 1923.

UNI-TED STATES 1,461,526 PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAVE L. HERZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNGR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ELY BERNAYS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPARK TIMER.

Appiication inea october i1, m21.

T 0 all w/Lom t may concern.'

Be itknown that I,.GUs'rAvn AL. Hnnz, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Bronx, in the city and State of WeT llTork, have invented a neaT and useful Improvement in Spark Timers, of Which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide certain improvements in a spark timer whereby its eiiiciency Will be materially increased as .will also its durability.

Another object is to provide a spark timer Which Will be very inexpensive to manufacture and in which the timer housing is yield-v ingly pressed against the engine casing 'to position the housing longitudinally, the housing being mounted on a concentric portion of the rotary cam forcentering `the housing With respect to the axis of the said cam.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Fig. 1 represents a front View of the timer applied to the engine casing, a portion of the rotatively adjustable housing being broken away to illustrate the parts within the same.

Fig. 2 represents a section taken in the plane of the line II-II of Fig. 1.

The engine casing is denoted by 1, the rotary cam shaft by 2 and the rotary cam which is 'fast thereon, by 3. This rotary cam is provided with a raised portion 4 and with a concentric portion 5.

rl`he rotatively adjustable timer housing is denoted by 6 and it is provided with a centrally arranged chamber 7, the outer end of which is closed and the inner end of which opens toward a hole through the engine casing.

The housing is provided With an inner circular flange 8 which bears upon the concentric portion 5 of the rotary cam and thus serves to center the housing with respect to the axis of rotation of the said cam. The housing is also provided with an outer circular flange 9 which is yieldingly held against the engine casing 1 by means oi. a spring arm 10, the outer end of which presses against the front of the timer housing, and the inner end of which is pivoted to a post 11 projecting from the engine casing. This outer circular flange 9 projects beyond the inner circular iange 8 and by its coaction Serial No. 507,060.

with the engine casing, serves to position the housing longitudinally with respect to the cam.

l provide any number of sets of normally separated contact pieces, the inner contact piece of each set being positioned to be engaged by the raised portiont 'of the rotary cam. carried by the cam shaft 2. In the present instance I have shown four sets of contact pieces, each set comprising an inner contact piece 12 and an outer Acontact piece 13. The contact pieces of each set are preferably alincd and disposed radially with respect to the axis of rotation of the cam. The inner end of the inner contact piece 12 is slidably mounted in the bottom Wall of the recess 1-1. and the outer end of the said inner contact piece is slidably mounted in a plug 15 which closes the mouth of the said recess 14 and is preferably secured permanently in position by upsetting the metal over the edge of the plug. A coil spring 16 surrounds the inner contact piece 12 Within the recess 14 for yieldingly holding the contact piece at the limit of its inward movement with the inner end of the said contact piece projecting into the path of the raised portion el of the rotary cam.

The timer housing 6 is further provided with a larger recess 17 into Which is forced the insulating jacket 18 which surrounds a hollow cap 19, the mouth of Which cap is closed by a plug 20. `which plug is permanently fixed in position by upsetting the metal of the cap over the edge of the plug. The outer contact piece 13 is slidably mounted in the plug 20. A, coil spring 21 is located in the hollen7 cap 19 and yieldingly holds the outer contact piece 13 at the limit of its inward movement. The jacket 18 is permanently held in the larger recess 17 by upsetting` the metal of the housing over a shoulder 22 on the said jacket.

lllhen the alined contact pieces 12 and 13 are at the limits of their inward movement, they are normally separated. In the rotary movement or the cam 3, the raised portion 4t of the cam by its engagement With the inner contact piece 12 to move it outwardly will move the contact piece 12 into engagement With the outer contact piece 13 and then move both contact pieces slightly so as to eliminate entirely all hammering.

It will be seen that the outer circular flange of the timer housing its engagement with the engine casing closesv the hole through which the cam shaft extends into the central chamber 7 of the housing, the said flange also coacting with the engine casing to position the housing longitudinally With respect to the cam, to bring the contact pieces into the plane of the cam. It Will also be seen that by providing the housing with the inner circular flange 8, which is mounted on the concentric portion of the cam, the housing is centered with respectf to the axis of rotation of the cam and maintained in such position, thus accurately positioning all of the contact pieces radially With respect to the face of. the cam. By upsetting the metal of the housing to hold the parts whichl carry the Contact pieces in position, I am enabled to materially cheapen the cost of manufacture of the housing, as by this method I eliminate all necessity of screw-threading these parts, the parts at theysame time being permanently and rigidly held in position.

It. is evident that various changes may be resorted to in the construction, form and arrangement of the several parts Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention; henceI do not Wish to limit myself to the particular embodiment herein shown and described, but

What I claimisz- 1. An engine casing, a rotary cam having a concentric portion, a. rotatively adjustable housing and contact pieces carried thereby, said housing having an inner circular flange mounted on the concentric portion of the cam, and an outer circular flange preing against the casing whereby the housing is centered with respect to the axis of rotation of the cam and is positioned longitudinally With respect to the cam.

2. An engine casing, a. rotary cam having a concentric portion, a rotatively adjustable housing and contact pieces carried thereby, said housing having an inner circular flange mounted on the concentric portion of the cam, and an outer circular flange pressing against the casing whereby the housing is centered with respect to the axis of rotation ofthe cam and is positioned longitudinally with respect to the cam, said housing also having a central chamber for receiving the cam.

3. In a spark timer, a rotary cam having a concentric portion, a rotatively adjustable housing, and normally separated contact pieces carried thereby in position to be brought into engagement by the cam, said housing having a central chamber with a closed outer end, Within which chamber the rotary cam is located, said housing being further provided with a circular flange mounted on the concentric portion of the cam. to close the inner end of saidchamber and to center the housing with respect to the axis of rotation ofthe cam.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name this fifth day of. October, 1921.

GUSTAVE L. HERZ. 

